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56th Army
Active October 1941 - November 1943
Country Soviet Union
Allegiance Red Army
Branch Infantry
Type Combined Arms
Size Army

The 56th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army that was created in 1941, and then disbanded to create the second formation of the Separate Coastal Army in 1943. The 56th Army was employed by the Soviets in the struggle against Germany during World War II.

History[]

The 56th Army was formed in October 1941 and subordinated to the North Caucasus Military District.[1] Subordinated to the Southern Front (Soviet Union) in December 1941, the 56th Army was made up of the following units, as well as five regiments of artillery and a rocket-launcher regiment.

31st Rifle Division
335th Rifle Division
337th Rifle Division
341st Rifle Division
353rd Rifle Division

11th Rifle Brigade
13th Rifle Brigade
16th Rifle Brigade
78th Rifle Brigade
33rd NKVD Motorized Rifle Regiment

62nd Cavalry Division
64th Cavalry Division
70th Cavalry Division
"NO" Cavalry Division
54th Tank Brigade
8th Tank Battalion

Among prominent actions, the 56th Army fought during the successful Soviet liberation of Rostov in late 1941 and spearheaded the amphibious landings in the Crimea in late 1943. The 56th Army was disbanded in November 1943 to create the second formation of the Separate Coastal Army.[2]

Commanders[]

  • 10.41 - 12.41 F. N. Remezov
  • 12.41 - 07.42 V. V. Tsyganov
  • 07.42 - 01.43 A. I. Ryzhov
  • 01.43 - 10.43 A. A. Grechko
  • 10.43 - 11.43 K. S. Melnik

Notes[]

  1. Glantz, p. 58
  2. Glantz, p. 58

References[]

  • David Glantz, Companion to Colussus Reborn, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2005

Further reading[]

  • Keith Bonn, Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
  • V.I. Feskov et al., The Soviet Army in the Period of the Cold War, Tomsk University Press, 2004
  • Jean-Luc Marchand, Order of Battle Soviet Army World War 2, 24 volumes, The Nafziger Collection
  • Samuel J. Newland and Clayton K. S. Chun, The European Campaign: Its Origins and Conduct, U.S. Army War College SSI, Carlisle, PA, 2011

External links[]


All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 56th Army (Soviet Union) and the edit history here.
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